


We're Drift Compatible, but...

by Phi_Unit



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: But like as just a background character/nobody important to the plot, You ever have those moments, where you imagine yourself in fictional worlds?, ye that's what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:01:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24532732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phi_Unit/pseuds/Phi_Unit
Summary: Doing the Pacific Rim Bingo and when I got drift compatibility on my card... well the first person I thought about was my brother.
Kudos: 3





	We're Drift Compatible, but...

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really expect many people to read this fic(?) since it's quite personal and that doesn't interest a lot of people but also I LOVE MY BROTHER AND I HAVE A MIGHTY NEED TO SHOUT THAT FACT EVEN IF IT'S TO AN UNRESPONSIVE VOID.

‘Are you two drift compatible?’

It wasn’t a difficult answer. Yes. A thousand times yes. A yes so strong it could take physical form if reality would allow it. It wasn’t hard to see why either. We just meshed so well together, love each other so much than what could be contained, and we knew each other inside and out.

There was just no doubt, we _are_ drift compatible.

‘Now, are you two going to pilot a Jaeger?’

That was also an easy answer, **HELL NO**.

I might have all the want in the world to waltz around in a robot the size of a skyscraper, but I will not go around fist-fighting with Kaiju even if I wished to, I just can’t. You see, it isn’t JUST about drift compatibility. You both got to be able to handle the fight, be _willing_ to fight, and not break down in the heat of the battle.

My brother… my brother can’t fight.

My brother is soft and I spent my life defending it from the moment I could speak, in any way I could. He is soft and warm and has the heart of a saint. His soul is filled with love and he hates to see things suffer. He’s the first to help others out, the first to share, the first to think about someone else while out shopping, the one with enough compassion and empathy to fuel a blazing sun.

But he _cannot_ fight.

He cannot stand fighting. If me and our mom started arguing, he’d get upset and cry. When we were kids and I got hurt – even if it was my fault, he would cry with me. He can’t stand sad movies or stories because he knows he’ll weep hard.

Don’t let that fool you, however, he’s not a baby by any means. When he knows someone well enough you get to see his cunning, his sharp tongue, and rapid-fire quips that leave people either stunned or busting a gut. He rants and rages when bullshit arises with a sharp critical eye and argument points that are never unfair or unfounded. Clever in that he KNOWS he is soft, that he is unassuming, and works that into plans because people forget he’s in the game until it’s too late and he’s won. He’s quiet and sneaky and catches people off-guard.

He cannot fight _directly._ His style of ‘fighting’ is waiting quietly in the background, to be unseen even in broad daylight, before he strikes in a way that catches people off guard and leaves them in the dust wondering what had happened.

And that’s something you can’t do in a Jaeger.

You got nowhere to hide when you’re in a Jaeger. Jaegers are big and eye-catching, meant to draw the danger away from helpless crowds of civilians. He’s built to be a sniper, lying in wait, silent and steady and calculating, timing everything up until he pulls the trigger for a clean kill; not some brawler up at the front lines wrestling behemoths.

But… even if he was the perfect fit to wrestle with monsters, I still don't think we would.

With the kind of bond we share, well, if we went into battle against Kaiju and one of us fell – we wouldn’t be able to recover, wouldn’t be able to move on. Like I said earlier if I got even a little bit hurt he’d be bawling his eyes out. And much like he can’t stand to see me hurt, I can’t either.

I may be more subdued in my expressions, have a flat affect and all, but the emotion is still so immensely intense that I will sob for hours after the fact. I’ve done him dirty, way back when before I realized what a hope diamond in the rough he was, because of a tiny bit of jealousy. It wasn’t even his fault that he got help and I didn’t, it was the so-called experts with biases clouding their judgment despite our mom fighting tooth and nail to pry open their eyes and make them see past the pleasant calm on my surface and to see the storm wreaking havoc on the inside. To remember those times, it makes me all the more determined to protect him. And together, as we grew, we played into each other’s strengths and weaknesses covering just about each and every one.

Him, with thousands of thoughts and ideas but unable to write or draw; Me, able to bring those thoughts together with the creative talent I’ve honed over the years. Him, with such excellent long-distance sight as to spot a player in the distance when they’re rendered at only half a pixel; Me, with excellent short sight picking up the details immediately around him to find all the clues he would’ve otherwise missed. Him, speaking in such a way that everything almost always deescalates and becomes calm or light-hearted; Me, so blunt and to-the-point that it makes sure no one can beat around the bush with their intentions. Him, the one steering the ship; Me, with the map in hand pointing us in the right direction. The two of us introverted but together we could talk the day away, everyday, if life wouldn’t interrupt us.

We’re Drift Compatible in every sense of its meaning… but it’s not the only thing you need.

You have to be able to fight for something far bigger than yourselves, bigger than your Jaeger, bigger than _anything_. Drift Compatibility may be the ultimate key in order for people to pilot the gigantic mechs but if it were the only ingredient the Jaeger Program would never run out of rangers.

It takes a great amount of character to put that sort of close relationship, that sort of love, on the line where the two of you are facing down death with each battle for the sake of the world, for people you don’t know, the good ones, the bad ones, and the ones in between. We… can’t. We already have a hard time standing up for ourselves, just really learning how to now, so to stand up for the whole world is something entirely out of our capabilities. We can help individuals, help direct them away from danger and treat their wounds, but we don’t have the specific skills needed to tackle the problem head-on and I doubt we ever will.

All those Rangers out there in their Jaegers are truly extraordinarily special in ways I couldn’t even begin to describe.

My brother and I can only cheer them on from the sidelines.


End file.
